Related

RICHMOND — It was a podium half-empty, which meant it was a lot better attended by Canadians than most podiums the first nine days of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Kristina Groves made it onto the second step of the medals platform at the speed skating oval in Richmond, earning a silver medal in the women's 1,500 metres Sunday afternoon.

But medal favourite Christine Nesbitt, her energy tank depleted after winning gold in the 1,000 on Thursday, faded to sixth. And Brittany Schussler, ranked fifth on the World Cup circuit and considered a potential medallist here, may still be skating in an Olympic nightmare caused by a blade problem minutes before her race. She finished 35th, beating one skater.

Unthinkable a week ago, it should have shocked no one Sunday.

It was that kind of weekend for Canadian athletes. It may be that kind of Games, too.

The weekend was supposed to be a turning point for Canada. But within a few hours on Black Saturday, short trackers Charles and Francois Hamelin managed to beat the odds by sweeping the only non-medal positions in the five-man 1,000 final, bobsleigh medal favourites Lyndon Rush and Lascelles Brown went inverted and skidded down the ice chute on their helmets, and highly-ranked speed skater Denny Morrison finished ninth in the men's 1,500 at the oval.

So, think there was much pressure Sunday on Canada's female long-track team?

The assumption is ridiculous, really. Because Canada's hallowed alpine ski team has won as many medals as Papua New Guinea, Groves and Nesbitt must be infallible.

"We never came here with the intention of being Superman - the one who's going to save everything," Canadian speed skating coach Marcel Lacroix said. "We've never put that pressure on ourselves like that because we knew it would be too much. You can't do it for the other guys. You have to do if for yourself and your country.

"For four years, we've been training every day like it's the Olympics. Our motto was TNT -today, not tomorrow. It was always: 'Today you're going to do your best, so when we get to the Olympics, it's same old, same old.' You can prepare for them, you can try to foresee the future, but until that moment comes, you just don't know. Some people are able to handle it, some people can't."

Groves handled it superbly.

Already a bronze medallist at 3,000, she skated in the second to last group Sunday, had the fastest split at 1,100 metres and managed to fight through the last lap to finish second in 1:57.14.

Holland's Ireen Wust was untouchable, powering through the final lap on slow, sea-level ice -- her final 400 metres was nearly a second faster than Groves' -- to tie the track record at 1:56.89.

But that still left an open step on the podium, and both Nesbitt and Schussler had the ability to claim it. Schussler, unable to warm up due to an emergency skate-sharpening, could have been timed with a sundial. And Nesbitt, ranked second on the World Cup at 1,500 metres, behind only Groves, faded badly on her final lap and missed the bronze by 37/100ths of a second in 1:58.33.

Was this choking? Hardly. But neither was it Olympian. It wasn't TNT.

"There's definitely lots of pressure on the team," Nesbitt said. "Everyone has talked about Canada's medal count and blah blah blah, and speed skating is a huge part of that. And it is. But I think we're still doing well. We still have a few medals. We're still a strong team.

"I didn't acknowledge how much pressure and stress I had on myself to perform in that 1,000. It took a lot of energy out of me. Even [Saturday] I was really tired. I wanted us both to be on the podium [in the 1,500]. But this is the Olympics; it's a different beast. I thought if I didn't acknowledge the pressure, it wasn't there.

"I don't know if acknowledging it, I would have freaked out and skated even crappier. I don't know."

Groves joked she looked better in silver than gold, then realized the blasphemy and admitted she was kidding.

"You see the headlines that Canadian officials have downgraded their expectations," Groves said.

"Whether we live up to the 87 medals we are supposed to win remains to be seen. We're all doing the very best we can with our hearts and our bodies and our minds.

"I look at [medal projections] and I shrug because I think they're meaningless. You never know what's going to happen. The Olympics are just that crazy thing where the unexpected happens. You saw it [Saturday]."

In the men's 1,500, American titan Shani Davis was upset for gold by Holland's Mark Tuitert.

"For Christine to win the gold medal, that was quite the medal," coach Lacroix said. "Today for Kristina to win the silver, it's great. But when you've got one or two slipping away, what it is? The Olympics are the Olympics. That's why you've got a guy [Tuitert] who won a medal, beating Shani Davis by half a second and he hasn't won a race in four years. He won by half a second. What the hell?

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

In less than a week, Abbotsford recording artists Hedley went from touring Canada with two supporting acts and a popular new album to pariahs ensnared in allegations of sexual misconduct. On Monday, accusations that band members Jacob Hoggard, Dave Rosin, Tommy Mac and Jay Benison had engaged in sexual behaviour with teenage girls surfaced on Twitter […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.